Following last week’s episode, more specifically the only two minutes of it that actually mattered to the series, Sinbad is desperate to discover what Anwar found out from the god they encountered, which, besides the fact that Sinbad has a great adventure ahead of him, turns out to be very little.

However, fortunately for them, there is a stone that allows whoever touches it to see what awaits them in the future. And even more fortunately for them, they know exactly where it is.

The apparently unfortunate soul in all of this is the guardian of the stone himself, who, upon what one can assume is just a normal check up on his future, sees himself mortally wounded with none other than Sinbad standing over him, dagger in hand. So when Sinbad turns up asking to see the stone, the audience get their own glimpse into the future as it is pretty clear what is going to happen next.

Fearing for his life, the guardian does what any self-respecting guardian of a stone would do and has Sinbad and his friends locked up. But prison is not reassuring enough and Sinbad is condemned to execution by poison as the guardian feels it is the only way to guarantee death. Clearly he hasn’t heard of beheading.

Sinbad is forced the poisonous toxin prepared for him and promptly collapses. However, this being only the ninth episode, Sinbad awakens in a morgue with the guardian’s son and a bounty hunter sent by Taryn, who needs Sinbad alive, hence why the poison turns out to be nothing more than a very powerful sleeping agent. And just when Sinbad had forgotten about that nasty curse, he finds another deadly device wrapped around his neck placed by the bounty hunter to keep him in check.

With Sinbad needing to stay close to the bounty hunter but the bounty hunter needing Sinbad alive so she can take him back to Taryn and complete her job, the two form an unlikely partnership to head for the stone and run into Anwar, Gunnar and Rina who had expected to find Sinbad in a body bag.

The climax, resulting in the guardian being stabbed by his own son and Sinbad left holding the blood-stained dagger, runs at just the right pace and, if slightly predictable, leads to a concluding conversation between Sinbad and Cook back on the Providence which is undoubtedly the best two minutes of this series so far as we discover what is likely to be the finale of the series. If true, what a finale it promises to be.

Aired at 7pm on Sunday 2nd September 2012 on Sky1.

> Order the Series 1 DVD on Amazon.

What did you think of the episode? Let us know below…